Unicornuate Uterus, Surrogacy, and Triblings—While Building A Fashion Empire (Sarah LaFleur)

Startup Parent

#215 — When fashion mogul Sarah LaFleur was diagnosed with a “unicornuate uterus” she knew that becoming a mother was not going to be an easy journey. She didn’t know that her path to parenthood would include IVF, surrogacy, and ultimately, three babies born in six weeks — but she wouldn’t change a thing.

In this episode of the Startup Parent podcast, Sarah K Peck interviews Sarah LaFleur, founder of fashion company MM LaFleur. They talk about her journey to motherhood, the challenges of fundraising, and how parenthood has changed the way that she leads her company.

Sarah and Sarah talk about how to know if you’re meant to be an entrepreneur, the different versions entrepreneurship can take, and how becoming a parent influences how you show up as a leader. They discuss the importance of believing in your vision, the struggle of fundraising, and how the path to motherhood is anything but predictable.

Sarah and Sarah cover:

• The different presentations of entrepreneurship, and alternatives to hustle culture that’s modeled
• The importance of mindset as an entrepreneur, and trusting yourself even if you can’t see exactly where you’re going
• The fundraising grind. and the challenges Sarah faced in securing funding for her fashion company, MM LaFleur
• How Sarah discovered that she has a “unicorn uterus” and what that meant for her motherhood journey
• Sarah’s experience with IVF and surrogacy, and how she and her husband ended up with three babies in six weeks.

This conversation was relatable, inspiring, and sometimes hilarious. If you’re looking for examples of the various paths to parenthood and how companies can support parents, then this is an episode you don’t want to miss.

RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED

• MM LaFleur
• “Thanksgiving in Mongolia” by Ariel Levy
• Sarah LaFleur on Instagram
• MM LaFleur on Instagram

SHOW NOTES

Full show notes at startupparent.com/215